The 'amazing' Newcastle United player who's back up and running
As Newcastle United's players rest and recuperate, one player is working through the summer ahead of a big campaign.
There was a notable absentee at Wembley as Newcastle United won the Carabao Cup – and it was not because he could not get a Carabao Cup final ticket.
And fans, players and staff celebrated the club’s historic trophy win back in March, one boyhood fan was back at home on Tyneside watching on TV.
Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak, memorably, ended a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.
Newcastle had done it the hard way, having been drawn against four Premier League sides on the road to Wembley.
And they also had to do it without Lewis Hall in the final against Liverpool.
Hall had surgery on a season-ending foot injury on the eve of the showpiece.
Until then, Hall had been a player-of-the-season contender alongside the likes of Isak and Burn.
Hall – whose allegiance to the club comes from his family’s roots in the North East – had got into his stride in his second season at the club, and his first since joining from Chelsea on a permanent deal.
The left-back’s club form had also earned him a senior international call-up with England. Hall did not look out of place when he won his first caps in the Nations League fixtures against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
Once a midfielder, Hall is a dynamic player who drives forward and makes things happen in the final third of the pitch. He also has a knack of getting out of tight spots without losing possession.
However, Hall would lose out on a place in the team for Wembley through injury.
The Berkshire-born player also lost out on a box seat in the stadium – as he had just had surgery and was wearing a protective boot.
Hall had to stay at home with his foot up for what would have been the biggest game of his fledgling career.
Tino Livramento’s high praise
Had he been fit this summer, Hall could well have been playing for England’s Under-21s in this summer’s European Championships in Slovakia alongside club-mate Tino Livramento, who was a revelation in the opening draw against Slovenia in Nitra, Slovakia.
Livramento – who also joined Newcastle from Chelsea – was sensibly selected for the Under-21s ahead of the senior team to give him tournament experience.
That same experience benefited Anthony Gordon, who was named the player of the tournament two years ago when Lee Carsley’s side won it by beating Spain in Batumi, Georgia.
Livramento, incidentally, named Hall as his Player of the Season.
“I know he has been out for maybe the last 10-ish games, but played pretty much every game that he could possibly play before the injury,” Livramento told the club.
“The improvement from obviously not playing a lot last season to then coming in and playing every game and being amazing. He’s obviously my boy, so got to give him a shout-out!”
Injury update
The important thing for Hall is to be ready for a big season for his club.
United qualified for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons thanks to last season’s fifth-placed finish.
The good news is that Hall, working through the summer, is back running and steadily working towards joining in when Eddie Howe’s players report back for the start of pre-season training.